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MEA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose primary mission is to work with veterans and their families to publish short stories, essays, poems, and artwork in our bi-annual publication, As You Were: The Military Review, periodic editions of Blue Nostalgia: The Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth and others. Each author or poet that submits work to us is afforded the chance to work one-on-one with a mentor to polish their work or learn new skills and techniques.

Our staff is based all over the country and includes college professors, professional authors, veterans’ advocates, and clinicians. As such, most of our services are provided through email and online writing workshops.

All editing, consultations, and workshops are free of charge. Veterans and their families pay nothing for our services, and they never will.

Under our Publications tab, there are more than a dozen volumes of creative work crafted by veterans and their family members as well as a virtual art gallery. Our blog posts feature short pieces that cover a wide range of opinion editorials, literary reviews, and profiles on veteran artists and writers.

Please consider spending some time navigating our site and reading and seeing the fine work of veterans and their families from around the globe.

Theme Song for a War

by Jonathan Tennis

Don’t pull the thang out, unless you plan to bangBombs over Baghdad!

The rhythms and rap of Big Boi and Andre 3000,
Announced our arrival into Iraq,
From our Humvee’s homemade sound system,
Cresting the berm and blasting by what should have been a border crossing.
Our battle cry from the ATLiens of OutKast.
Our little piece of home we brought with us on the journey.

But there was no one here to hear,
Except my driver and I,
As we continued the march of thousands of American soldiers.
North.
To Baghdad.

There were no Iraqis to witness the crossing of their home into a state of war.
To hear us celebrate our bombing of them back further into the dark ages.
Nothing personal.
It’s a great song.
And every war needs a good theme song.

I’ve been back,
More times than I care to remember.
More times than my family,
And my exes would have liked.
I’ve lost a lot in the process.
Friends over there.
Friends back here.
Family.

Bombs Over Baghdad,
Both in song and in real life.
Me.
Foster.
Alone.
Unafraid.
Cause we had our doors off
Full combat load
Grenades primed
And OutKast on our radio.

Note: The italicized lyrics are taken from OutKast’s B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad), from their 2000 ablum titled “Stankonia.” Released in 1996, “ATLiens” was the duo’s second studio album.

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